PASADENA – Wednesday night’s battle between USC and Texas might have been the biggest spectacle in the 104-year history of the Rose Bowl.

The month of nationwide anticipation and buildup ended with a feverish day of events at the stadium. It was an event comparable to the 1993 Super Bowl and the 1994 World Cup final, said Darryl Dunn, general manager of the Rose Bowl.

The contest was the climactic culmination of multiple story lines:

In a Bowl Championship Series system where rankings usually cause ceaseless controversy, it was a battle between the two top teams for an uncontested national championship.

USC was playing for an unprecedented third straight Associated Press national title.

All three finalists for the 2005 Heisman trophy, awarded to college football’s greatest player, were on the field: Reggie Bush – the award’s recipient – and Matt Leinart for USC and Vince Young for Texas.

Plus, the teams boasted college football’s longest current winning streaks: USC entered the game at 34 wins in a row, Texas at 19. The game was so hot, sellers were offering single seats for $3,500 at the 50-yard line and $11,000 in the suites, Tournament of Roses officials said. Thus, fans seeking tickets Wednesday drew smirks from passers-by. Outside the Rose Bowl late Wednesday morning, Dean Schmidt of Dallas, Texas, got incredulous looks. The Longhorn fan held a sign that said: “Need 9 tickets.”

But Schmidt – loaded with $15,000 cash – said he would “absolutely” get his tickets. An hour before kickoff, he had his seats – seven of them together and a pair in another section. Game-day price: $1,500 per ticket.

USC fans had the game in their back yard, but the Texas faithful said they considered it a home game since they won last year’s Rose Bowl. About a third of the 93,986 fans filling the Rose Bowl were wearing the burnt orange of the Texas Longhorns. Best Texas T-shirt: “You can’t spell SUCK without USC.”

Fans arrived in the pre-dawn hours for tailgate parties. USC supporters formed a village of RVs, tents and grills west of the stadium. At one encampment, three tailgaters – Laura Schenasi of Palos Verdes; her godmother, Marlene Carter of Long Beach; and her mother-in-law, Pat Schenesi of Redondo Beach – sat in front of a small shrine to Tommy Trojan, the warrior icon of USC. Mounted on a stand below glittery USC letters were a small plastic Trojan helmet, sword and breastplate.

The memorial, created before the 2003 Rose Bowl game when USC started its national championship run, almost looked religious.

“If you consider USC football a religion, then it is,” said Laura Schenasi, laughing.

Carter has attended every USC bowl game for more than 50 years, and said Wednesday’s game was the most significant yet.

“It’s the biggest, the most excitement, the most hype I’ve ever seen,” she said.

The events included the first ever ESPN Tailgate party, featuring interactive games and country music party duo Big & Rich. Only fans with tickets were allowed to pay an additional $20 to enter the ESPN event. Rose Bowl officials called it a success, saying it helped traffic by bringing fans early and added more than $100,000 to stadium revenue.

The partying resulted in 38 emergency medical calls outside the stadium, most of them alcohol-related, said Lisa Derderian, spokeswoman for the Pasadena Fire Department. Fire officials were also called to Old Pasadena because bars were overcrowded with fans, she said.

In 2004 the game brought about $370 million to the Southern California economy, said Mitch Dorger, Tournament of Roses CEO. About $150 million came to Pasadena, primarily through hotels, restaurants and shopping, he said. The totals were slightly higher in 2002, the last time the Rose Bowl hosted the BCS championship, he said.

The Tournament of Roses will bring in about $40 million from the game, Dorger said, but $30 million will go to the Big 12 and Pac-10 conferences. The Tournament will keep

$4 million to pay for the parade and other expenses, and

$1.75 million will be divided by other BCS conferences. About $3 million will go to the Rose Bowl Operating Company to pay for capital improvements, including a $16 million locker room upgrade.

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